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No, not in that sense, dammit. But I have spent the last four hours cutting 12-pound chunks of beef into strips, to feed hundreds of carnivorous fen....
Maybe I'd better explain myself. I am at Penguicon, the world's first combination Linux conference and science-fiction convention, which is being held this year in Romulus, Michigan, at a hotel less than two miles from the Detroit Metro airport.
Penguicon is known for having events and activities that cater to a broad range of interests--some of which have no obvious connection either to Linux or to science fiction. One of those interests is food. Food tastings and panels about food and food preparation have been on the schedule for several years.
More recently, one local fan volunteered to cook some beef, Brazilian style, from the terrace outside the con suite. That led to a mass feast, the following year, in which nearly 400 pounds of beef were cut, grilled, and consumed, all by eager fans.
When this year's convention was in the planning stages, one of the con committee members expressed doubt that we could do the Brazilian beef again. It had been a logistical nightmare, the fan who had spearheaded it would be unable to help, we just couldn't do it this year....
A number of us spoke out on the con's mailing list in protest, and volunteered to help with the actual production.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
esrblog and I were two of them. He had worked the grill for about an hour and a half last year, and really enjoyed it. And I thought that the beef I had eaten last year was yummy. I didn't want to see the tradition die for lack of a few pairs of hands, when I could dedicate at least one pair to the cause.
So this morning,esrblog and I showed up outside the consuite, along with four to six other fen, to help cut beef. Now, as I type, the last few chunks are being cut and bagged for refrigeration until late afternoon, when they will be coated in salt crystals and, ultimately, grilled. (I'll be back, of course, for the salting.)
In that sense, we are "serving" fen--helping to bring a tasty communal beef feast to the con. Fen, fortunately, are not on the menu. But the pun was irresistible, and after I'd voiced it, I knew I had to write this post.
There will be a Penguicon review later, after I get home.
Maybe I'd better explain myself. I am at Penguicon, the world's first combination Linux conference and science-fiction convention, which is being held this year in Romulus, Michigan, at a hotel less than two miles from the Detroit Metro airport.
Penguicon is known for having events and activities that cater to a broad range of interests--some of which have no obvious connection either to Linux or to science fiction. One of those interests is food. Food tastings and panels about food and food preparation have been on the schedule for several years.
More recently, one local fan volunteered to cook some beef, Brazilian style, from the terrace outside the con suite. That led to a mass feast, the following year, in which nearly 400 pounds of beef were cut, grilled, and consumed, all by eager fans.
When this year's convention was in the planning stages, one of the con committee members expressed doubt that we could do the Brazilian beef again. It had been a logistical nightmare, the fan who had spearheaded it would be unable to help, we just couldn't do it this year....
A number of us spoke out on the con's mailing list in protest, and volunteered to help with the actual production.
esrblog and I were two of them. He had worked the grill for about an hour and a half last year, and really enjoyed it. And I thought that the beef I had eaten last year was yummy. I didn't want to see the tradition die for lack of a few pairs of hands, when I could dedicate at least one pair to the cause.So this morning,
esrblog and I showed up outside the consuite, along with four to six other fen, to help cut beef. Now, as I type, the last few chunks are being cut and bagged for refrigeration until late afternoon, when they will be coated in salt crystals and, ultimately, grilled. (I'll be back, of course, for the salting.) In that sense, we are "serving" fen--helping to bring a tasty communal beef feast to the con. Fen, fortunately, are not on the menu. But the pun was irresistible, and after I'd voiced it, I knew I had to write this post.
There will be a Penguicon review later, after I get home.
accomplished
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The con suite at Penguicon this year was pretty good. They fed people 3 times a day throughout the con. More on that later, when I have a real keyboard at hand again.